


Μολών λαβέ (Come and Take It)

by Quetzalcoatl_is_my_Momma



Series: Icarus Freed [1]
Category: The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Genre: Axel is a super soldier, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Like Axel and Saphira are friends but they're feeling stuff and takin it slow, More tags to be added, Semi Slow Burn, Some Canon-Compliant Death and Non-Canon-Compliant Death, Some Humor, That Story Where an OC dies in their world and revives in another world, Winged!OC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:14:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27868210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quetzalcoatl_is_my_Momma/pseuds/Quetzalcoatl_is_my_Momma
Summary: In a land not Alagaesia but an entirely separate world, Axel was meant to be modern mankind's ace in the hole in a losing war. Flesh, Blood and Bone against Adamantium Ore melded to once-organic flesh and Artificial Intelligence. Never knowing his father- assumed KIA- and his mother force to give him up as he was picked out among several other children to be a lab rat to become a Super Soldier for the cause. When he falls in battle Axel wakes in a world not his own with his own world's death on his wings and barely time to grieve. Coming across a young boy and an old man Axel offers to accompany them and a beautiful sapphire dragoness- not just because he is unknowing of this new world that has become his new home, but because he wants some answers himself. See, Axel wasn't just killed and brought to this world as a weird afterlife. While he floated aimlessly in the void he had a dream, coming face to face with impossible beings who seem to want something from him. Axel believes he was pulled to Alagaesia, and he wants to know why.Why is he having strange dreams of a black void?Who is the massive black dragon that strikes a chord of familiarity in Axel's core being?Who is Axel, the Black Robin, really?
Relationships: Axel (Original Male Character) & Brom (Inheritance Cycle), Axel (Original Male Character) & Eragon Shadeslayer, Brom (Inheritance Cycle) & Eragon Shadeslayer, Saphira & Brom (Inheritance Cycle), Saphira & Eragon Shadeslayer (Inheritance Cycle), Saphira (Inheritance Cycle)/Original Male Character- Axel (Original Work)
Series: Icarus Freed [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2040242
Kudos: 1





	1. Σε ερείπια (In Ruins)

**Author's Note:**

> Now this story is something I'm co-writing with an IRL friend on FF.N. I'd originally posted it here as "The Playlist of a Teenage Supersoldier in Alagaesia" but when I couldn't kick that off right I sent it to my friend MalwareIsMajestic on FF.N to take over while I sent out little ideas when inspiration struck me.

"Sir, the enemy has reached the outer defenses of Austin. I'm afraid that in the hour, they'll be within city limits…" an elderly man leaned over a map and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is there any hope of evacuating the city?" he asked grimly.

"…No, sir. There isn't- we simply didn't get here quick enough, and our scouts hadn't detected the mass until it was too late... there's no time to."

"…very well."

A commander now sat alone in his command room with his fingers clutching at what little hair he had left, trying to hold off on making a difficult choice. The city they were sent to protect last minute had no time to set up their defenses, the civilians were too many to be evacuated properly, and his last line of defense, save for the people in Camp Delta guarding civilians, were too few to be of any real use.

_I'm going to have to make a judgment call… those boys will have to-._

A shadow fell over him from the front and the commander looked up to see what may just be their last hope. A heavy cloak hid their face and on their back was a large scythe with a pitch black blade. The Commander gasped- he knew this kid… they had met, albeit only briefly.

"Hey, gramps… don't go pullin' your hair out now." A leather-clad hand reached out and patted the elder on the shoulder. "W-When did you get here?" the young man in front of him shrugged, his shoulders lifting with the movement. "Was shipped out the night before, touched down outside Austin and then flew right over. Came through the front door about twenty minutes ago." The youth looked up from under a heavy hood, revealing only his glowing catlike eyes colored a vivid ruby-red shining from its shadow. A lock of inky black hair fluttered with the young man's movements as he turned to the door. "I'll get your boys and your city safe again, gramps. Don't worry." The soldier who had given him a status report was gawking at the intruder before he pulled out a blaster and leveled it at him.

"Halt! Just who are you-?!"

"Stand down, Soldier!" the commander barked, making the other man jump slightly. The youth had continued walking until he stepped over the office threshold and in a buzz almost like lightning, he vanished, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?"

The commander fought a smile at the officer's strangled-sounding voice.

"Permission granted." "Who the hell was that?!"

The commander sighed. "That, my friend, was Axel. Or, as the higher-ups know him, Black Robin. He among nine other children had been created to undergo an experiment in these times, and out of the ten children who underwent the procedures he was the only survivor." The officer stiffened. "Sir?"

"Don't worry… I won't get in trouble for speaking about it- quite frankly I'm surprised you don't know about this… he's the country's ace, it's final line of defense. What you just witnessed was something he can do, called Point Break. He can move at incredibly high speeds, easily breaking the sound barrier if he so wished to, he's a master in hand-to-hand combat, and his primary weapon is the scythe you saw on his back. In fact, several of my colleagues have taken to calling him the Reaper for that fact and how dangerous he is on the battlefield."

There was a knock at the office door and the commander called for the one outside to enter. "Sir, we have a visual on the battlefield where Black Robin is."

The old man nodded. "Ah, very good. Pull it up."

A small disk with a strange crystal sphere was set on the commander's desk and the crystal was tapped. In an instant a holographic live feed was pulled up.

* * *

Axel hummed as he saw the legions of enemy Isoforms and Behemoths marching towards the city- His city. "This'll be a mess…" he mused, looking up at the sky briefly. Standing up from his position, he unhooked his scythe, called _Lynx_ , and flicked a small switch activating the specialized ore with a hum.

He pressed a hidden button and the blade whined before lighting up with a line of shimmering ominous violet around the blade, a Diamond-Laser making the cutting edge even more deadly and casting a brilliant glow over his body.

Axel reached up and flipped his hood off of his face, a grim look in his golden eyes. Ebony hair waved in the wind as he watched the enemy army get closer to the city before he spun his scythe and held it out in a comfortable hold behind him.

"Welp," he muttered to himself. "Let's get this thing started."

Leaning forwards Axel fell from the top of the wall and towards the battlefield-to-be below, flipping over twice before his cloak spread out suddenly- no, it wasn't a cloak, but wings coming from his back- slowing his fall and allowing him into a controlled crash-landing with enough force to make a small crater in the earth. With a growl Axel took off, flipping his scythe around his body to build up its force and speed, channeling his abilities into the blade. With a roaring 'HA' he swung, producing an arch of violet energy that writhed and crackled like actual fire and cut down a Cellobyte, a unit of Isoforms. An unfortunate Iso close enough to be in his range was chopped neatly in half at the waist by the navy blue colored Adamantium blade itself.

This metal was what made the biggest and most dangerous Isos, called Charged Behemoths, so dangerous; no weapon made using human methods could cut them down, so they were forced to use the chunks shed from passing CBs… not unless you managed to get a chunk of Adamantium from those large armadillo-like monsters while it was still alive and kicking.

Well, it's a good thing Axel wasn't completely human anymore when he made his scythe, otherwise he'd be dead a hundred times over. With that first attack, everything became action and reaction for the young man. Axel utilized his scythe in abnormal and astounding ways, activating his _Point Break_ every now and then to flash behind his enemies and cut them in two before they could so much as bellow or scream.

Using his scythe for a launching pad and calling on it to return to him, flinging it to and fro like a boomerang- the more he fought, the faster he became. He cleared out several regiments before he paused to take stock of the Isos around him. Slamming the blade of _Lynx_ into the ground and leaning on the handle for a moment, Axel looked out at the few enemies left- one more Kilobyte to go. Axel grinned, his battle high showing with extending canines as his eyes trailed light with their power with power. "Come on, then!" he challenged, grinning wildly and his eyes glowing scarlet. None of them approached, but they started to bang the butts of their guns and the handles of their other weapons against the ground in a resonating beat, making the enhanced teen lose his expression slightly. _What are they doing…?_ He wondered. Suddenly spindly limbs wrapped around the teen's body before he could detect the movement, followed by another body, and another and another.

The realization slammed into him and he grit his teeth in desperation. They were _Kamicazi Droids_ -! Little bastards created to use themselves as ticking time bombs and dog-pile their opponents as they exploded or their targets were crushed under the rapidly growing weight… and they were climbing him like a tree to inhibit his ability to fly away.

 _Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!_ He hardened the Adamantium ore running through his blood and sent it to his wings to make his crystal-metal shield, but when he looked down his ruby red eyes went wide- one of the Kamicazi was different from the rest of them, shining dark-blue metal around him making the violent red of the abnormal lock his senses. Axel only had time to shout out in frustration before his world went up in an explosion of light and an earth-shattering crash.

* * *

Back in the War Room, the commander watched helplessly as the last stronghold for humanity was breached. Through the visual he watched helplessly as Behemoths trample the meager shelters, he hears the screams of his race as the last of them are snuffed out. even as the enemy is banging on his front door, the commander watches numbly, as the world is doomed, falling to a 'cure' they never saw coming.


	2. παραμένει ζωντανός (Remains Alive)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awakening in a new world, Axel needs to learn and learn how to survive fast and then find civilization. when he finds instead is a chilling realization that war is in this world as well, and his life created to fight isn't nearly as over as he'd thought...

_Ruby eyes fluttered open to see stars painting the sky overhead and orange light flickering to the left. Axel groaned as he pushed himself upright, his ears gradually coming back into working order to hear the crackling of of a campfire. Half lidded cat-like eyes lazily swept over the area before coming to rest on the back of a person facing the fire and having his back to him. Axel stared groggily for a moment before his fight-or-flight reflexes kicked in and he flipped to his feet. his wings spread out and the ore in his blood was channeled to the feathers, hardening them into blades that clinked and rattled in preparation to strike._

"Who are you and where am I?!" _the soldier snapped, his eyes glowing as he reached for his power. The figure slowly stood and turned, revealing himself to have long white hair and kind blue eyes. the sky overhead thundered, but a glance told the winged soldier that there were no clouds. A low roar echoed overhead and an inky-black dragon flew low overhead, warm red eyes alight with wisdom as it landed on the ground behind the white-haired man. Axel stared at the dragon and his stance dropped slightly, but when the man made to move forwards he stiffened once more._

_The dragon extended it's neck and chuffed when Axel raised his now-bladed wings threateningly. Man and beast exchanged a glance before they turned back to Axel as one. With a sound that spoke with the voices of thousands, they said three words:_

'You will do.'

_And then Axel was falling._

** ~~~~*/|\\*~~~~ **

Ruby eyes snapped open as a strangled cry ripped from the seventeen-year-olds throat and he shot upright. Panting harshly the young man looked around frantically, but the only signs of movement were scattered violet-black feathers littering the damp stone around him. Axel winced as he felt the soreness of his back as he sat back on his palms and let out a sigh. "Well, I'm alive…" he said, both relieved and shocked. The empty cave he was in gave no reply, and the lone echo bounced around until it left through the mouth of the cave. With a groan Axel pushed himself to his feet haphazardly, arms pin-wheeling as he regained his balance and began to actually take a look at his surroundings, seeing his scythe leaning against the cave wall. His hands drifted to his sides and he felt worn leather and cold Adamantium- his fighting daggers were where they should be, thank god.

The wheels in his head began turning when he realized that he was in an unknown place, a cave of some sort, and the sounds of dripping water echoing from the back confirmed he had a source of water, so if he had to hole up here he'd have something to drink at least.

Then the sudden realization of him being here struck him- _his world was lost_. Axel's breathing picked up at the knowledge of his failure, his pupils thinning until they became nearly invisible against their scarlet background and his wings formed a protective barrier around him as he fought to keep his panic down. _Axel you don't know if everyone is really gone. Calm down. Focus on your surroundings. Find things you can use to survive. Compartmentalize the items. If there are new things that must be done, learn to do them. Figure out where you are._ He continued to focus himself _. Find clues as to what you're doing there, and explore the surrounding area to familiarize with the territory. then find food, water and shelter before going from there._

_You have a duty to survive, so **do your duty**_ **.**

Once his breathing calmed and his tremors ceased, Axel took a deep breath and unfolded his wings from his protective cocoon and took another look about. To his right his satchel was laid haphazardly on the ground and the black-haired young man stumbled towards it. As he moved

the seventeen year old took another breath and let it out slowly. Reaching out, he grasped the strap of the satchel and picked it up to look through its insides and make sure everything was still there as he slid down on the wall. Luckily, he found with no shortness of relief that his medical supplies, an item his mother gave to him before she passed- an instrument called an ocarina-, spare provisions, and his old-yet-enhanced iPod touch were all in working condition or still there.

The ocarina was a beautiful black and amethyst, the paint still as shiny and glossy over the fired clay as he remembered when his mother played it for him all those years ago, and he let a few tears slip in relief when he saw no damage had come to it. With a sigh, the teen pushed off of the wall and made his way to the light around the corner, getting used to walking as he went.

He reached the mouth of the cave and his eyes automatically crashed closed at the brightness and he raised his arm to shield himself. After a minute Axel worked his catlike scarlet eyes open and gasped.

There were mountains and forests all around him, and near the center of them a small pond or lake. Axel was in just the right position to see over the other side of the range- there was an ocean on one side, and on the other a desert past a flat and sport of marshy-looking plain. Mist curled down from the clouds as if to caress his head and welcome him to wherever this place was and birds cawed and chirped as they flew by in an array of colors both bright and dull. The sounds and smells and sights were many and enormous in amount, but Axel found himself not caring. Taking a dazed step forwards, the teen reached up to the sun overhead with a growing smile on his face.

the warmth, the light, the life.

He could _feel_ everything, and it was like showing a blind man the world for the first time. There wasn't any smog or the sounds of iron screeching and hammering as the remnants of humanity eked out an existence. No Isos screeching in the distance or Behemoths thundering past that he had to charge in to kill.

"This is _incredible_ ," Axel muttered, laughing slightly and running his fingers through inky locks. Something growled and Axel instantly got into a fighting stance. Bringing up _Lynx_ , he bent his knees, wings raised and spread to make himself appear larger, but no one was around. The sound came again and he flushed at no one when he realized that he was just hungry, lowering his large scythe sheepishly, though no people was around to see his silly mistake.

Relaxing and letting out a breath Axel surveyed the area outside the cave once more and found the river, probably half a mile away from his point on the mountainside and at the foot of the earth-made mass. With a groan, Axel realized he'd have to fly to and from the river if he wanted a meal of fish. Stretching out his wings, Axel took off, wheeling higher into the skies a bit before he angled towards the lake at the bottom of the small valley paradise. _First order of business before I really sit down to think is water and food water comes first, otherwise I'll die within the week_.

* * *

** Four months later **

* * *

A herd of deer were grazing on the mountainside peacefully when a shadow overhead made them scatter. The creek nearby was babbling happily, the birds chirped and sang, and the sun shone overhead, dappling the forest floors of the mountain with a patchwork of light and shadow. From an overhanging tree the sounds of large wings flapping carved through the air before Axel landed in the more sturdy topmost branches before gliding and landing lightly on the ground. The boots he had been wearing were hardened leather deer hides, a large wolf pelt was wrapped around his shoulders like a cape and his rose-red gaze were alight with learned mistakes and successes.

Being in the army, he never really had to go out and hunt for food, especially with replicators to make synthetic food for you. Here, Axel didn't have that, so with a shit ton of trial and error he learned to fish and hunt, even make spare clothes when his started to deteriorate over his time living in the wilderness and a cave.

He had gotten used to the idea that he may not have a way back home as well.

Axel's clothes rapidly deteriorated due to… _something_. It was something Axel wouldn't know about if he hadn't stretched his senses out to find Blackout Lynx when he'd misplaced it near the pond in his second night in his little mountain paradise, but there was actually something in the air… and it wasn't _just_ in the air, but also in the land, the animals and even in the people he saw on the roads and pathways down on the ground when he was out flying, (though it was just barely there or not at all) and the water… it was otherworldly and made Axel slightly uneasy, but he gradually got used to it- sadly, his clothing wasn't afforded that luxury of immunity by exposure.

His fiber-mesh and titanium-woven clothes, even if they were made to withstand bullets and chrome blasters and even titanium swords that some of the more advanced droids and robots could use, couldn't hold up against whatever was in the atmosphere in this world. So to avoid going around in his birthday suit he had to learn sewing and tanning fast. Meanwhile lightweight leather chest armor and a cotton undershirt he'd filched from a small caravan of merchants camping out at the bottom of the mountain range as well as a pair of pants and boots were his new attire now.

His wings glinted in the sun with their metallic purple sheen at the ends. His right pocket had the iPod inside, it's screen dark for the moment, and his hair had gotten longer, the black fringes having been put back in a ponytail that hung between his shoulder blades.

It had been hard the past four months. Axel had had to go hungry many nights before he caught his first doe, but the meat was worth all the trials and errors. He had a small hut where he dried and made deer jerky from what he couldn't eat all the way while he lived in his cave. And he had used _Lynx_ to make deep indentions in the ground to make areas for tanning the deer hides he'd obtained (though the method of using his own urine was something he'd rather not get into).

His wings fluttered and stretched as he leaned back to work the kinks out of his back as he strode to his small wilderness cave-home, a satchel and travel pack made from animal hide leaning on the outer rim. He had been stocking up on food for a while now because he wanted to leave the mountain range. Packing the deer jerky wasn't really an issue, and he wasn't worried about leaving his tools here either because no one came up this mountain that he could tell… he just had no idea where he was going. His gut said to go straight at the foot of the mountain rage, but he had no idea where straight would take him- danger and answers, or adventure and answers? Maybe even a way back to his world because they needed him…

Making it to the cave Axel looked around the area. It had become his home for the time he was there, the rocky ground was covered in a layer of soft sands and dirt while dried herbs hung around the area as he saved his more advanced medical supplies for when he was seriously hurt, like missing a limb or bleeding out hurt… even so, he knew he had to leave sooner or later. He had his pack around his shoulders now and what he can bring he put inside it. Blackout Lynx was on his back and his wings were wager to be in the skies and moving once more. With one last look-around, Axel turned and walked back out from his little paradise, and into the unknown.

** =›◊‹= **

A day and a half into his travels, Axel came across a town and landed to rest his wings on its far outskirts. However the young super soldier was on edge- this town was… _off_.

For one, it was too _quiet_ ; a shroud of misery hung over it that was too familiar, one that brought back memories of attacked human settlements where they were slaughtered by Isos to make way for their marches, an aura of death hanging over the whole place that would make Axel and his comrades feel dirty for weeks afterwards. Ruby eyes flashed as Axel brought _Lynx_ to the side, at the ready for a fight, and cautiously walked into the town. Weaving through the buildings, he kept an eye out for any people, but none were around, only disturbingly familiar rust-colored spots that streaked some of the walls that had flies on them.

Suddenly the sound of voices and horse hooves hitting the packed ground reached the Black Robin and Axel ducked into a hut to hide, not knowing if they were friend or foe.

"There aren't any dogs barking." A young male's voice said once they were within earshot.

"No." a much older-sounding voice answered and Axel leaned his head over carefully to see the speakers. They didn't sound like they were at fault with the picture Axel was beginning to see, and as they passed on their horses Axel saw that they, by his best guess, were more so travelers trying to resupply.

"Doesn't mean anything, though." The boy spoke again.

"…No."

This time, the man didn't seem so sure.

"Someone should have seen us by now." The boy echoed Axel's thoughts and the winged warrior's grip on _Lynx_ tightened. "Why isn't anyone coming out?" Axel's eyes roamed around inside the hut he was in. Catlike pupils widened to let in more light but he didn't see much of anything aside from overturned bowls, scattered herb bunches, and a small child's toy, a doll. Deeming that the two were far enough away that Axel could move without being noticed, he slipped out of the opening and followed in what could pass for the back alleyways of the town, following them as they ventured closer and closer to the center.

When Axel and the two strangers on horseback got to the center, an overwhelming stench of blood, rot, and decay hit him so hard Axel gagged in his throat and had to swallow bile. Only the years he spent fighting and burying the decaying corpses of victims in the War kept him from doing so out loud.

It was a _mound_ , a pile of dead and decaying _people_.

 _This_ is where the town's population had gone…

Axel's wings bristled, the Adamantium ore within his blood hardening and turning the feathers into razor blades unconsciously. _I will never get used to seeing these things…_ he thought as he looked at an infant that was impaled on a pike at the top. _This is almost exactly like what was happening at home…_ the roaring of blood in his ears had Axel missing out much of what the two strangers were speaking of, but the rapid thumping of footfalls alerted him of an approaching attack. Spinning on a dime, Axel brought his scythe to bear and blocked a blow from the upper right. He grunted as the force put behind the strike made him bend a bit- it was stronger than most of the Isos he'd had to fight. Lashing out with a wing, Axel sliced the attacker in the throat and disengaged with a fountain of blood spraying his face and splattering across his left cheek.

Spreading his wings, the Black Robin took to the air to see an old man and a boy younger than Axel was galloping through the town on their horses and fleeing from two other of the horned creatures on their tails.

Tucking his wings in and flipping Blackout Lynx around so it was twirling in his hands, Axel hauled back and threw it at a horned monster just coming out of the side of an alleyway about to slice the old man in half. While the scythe stopped most of the blow enough for the man to block, he got a nasty gash on his arm and a knock on the head that rendered him unconscious. The boy looked back at his companion and saw Axel, doing a double-take when he saw the winged man helping the elder get more secured to his horse.

Axel swore when the two monsters on the horses tails caught up to him and smacked the white horse's rump, making it gallop after the boy's grey mare, and drew his daggers in a reverse-grip. "Wanna dance, you bastards?" he snarled as they neared. The monsters growled and roared as they raised their weapons high. One of them gurgled as an arrow was embedded into their forehead and fell back. Looking back, Axel saw the boy had come back for him and had shot the arrow, a determined gleam in brown eyes. Nodding briefly, Axel heard the monster in front of him make it's move and he turned back to it, narrowing his eyes and grinning, sharpened canines glinting as he tensed.

" _Then let's dance!"_

As the monster brought down the large cleaver-sword, Axel used a wing hardened with Adamantium to guide the strike away since learning of their strength before, and slid past the monster's arm. Bringing his right hand up, he sliced through the flesh of the creature's throat like a hot knife through butter with one of his daggers, bathing the wing that was used to parry red. Twitching his fingers Axel called the adamantium scythe still embedded into the torso of the first creature to attack the old man. It flipped from the ground in a spray of mud clots and dirt to land the handle into his grip. Turning to look Axel saw the boy's grey mare cantering about in a panic, saddle empty, while the sounds of more fighting echoed in the area of the back alleys. Spreading his wings once again Axel took to the air and circled before getting a lock on the targets.

Flicking the laser of _Lynx_ on, Axel dove and twirled _Lynx_ about before unleashing an arch of violet flames just as he smashed into the ground between the boy and his attackers the moment after the kid shouted a word… _Brisket? Bringer? Brisket-bringer_? Whatever it was, it picked up the monsters just as the arch of flame left Axel's scythe and put them in the perfect position to be sliced in half at the torso.

Blood splashed from the three-way kill and in the next instant there were six thumps as the separated bodies fell to the ground.

And then everything was finally silent.

The boy was panting, his eyes barely being kept open as he tried to be on-guard towards Axel. The solder from another world couldn't blame him- he did just fling around purple fire and use his wings to slit throats and deflect the strikes of these things. Axel looked at the boy leaning on the side of a building for a moment before sighing and flipping his scythe to rid it of blood from the blade.

The blue-black metal glinted before Axel snapped it into its holster on his back. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Axel started. "I'm here to help." Extending a hand to the boy, Axel waited a moment before the younger reached out and took it. Slinging his arm over his shoulders, Axel helped him stand. "Let's get you to your horse. Your companion's white stallion seemed smart, so I have no doubt that he's with yours."

Slowly Axel limped the boy out of the alleyway and back to where he last saw the grey.

The boy was tense as they came back out into the open, but when he saw the white stallion and the old man slumped over it's neck he seemed to relax a bit.

Turning to Axel, the boy scanned him up and down before he spoke. "Who are you?" Axel smirked, a canine poking out of his mouth as his pupils thinned slightly. "Axel. Just Axel."

And it was at that moment that a scream of rage slammed into both boy's minds. Flinching harshly, Axel looked around before seeing a beautiful sapphire blue dragoness come hurtling from the clouds above, murder in her eyes and a snarl on her scaly muzzle.


	3. Οι ιστορίες που λέω (The Stories I Tell)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once the excitement has died down, Axel finds himself basically kidnapped by a boy and his dragon-companion. being stared down by an old man and the other two, Axel tells them some of what his history is.

_How the fresh hell did I go from mountain paradise to being technically abducted by a kid, his dragon-companion and an old man?_

Axel sat around a camp fire in the late evening as said kid looked over the old man's wounds. Three pairs of eyes were watching his every move and the super soldier shifted uncomfortably, wings rustling as they adjusted their position at accommodate. "Well?" the old man's gruff tone made Axel jolt. "Well, what?" he muttered as he polished one of his knives. "Who, no _what_ are you? Do you serve the King? Where did you come from?" Axel's eyebrows twitched as he wiped his cloth over the blackish-red blade of his battle knife and slid it back into its sheath at his hip. "That's quite the hefty set of questions when you've barely given me a reason to explain myself. You basically _Shanghaied_ me after I saved this kid's ass-." The old man's eyebrow raised at the term- obviously these people don't have his Earth lingo- as the boy grit his teeth.

"I could have handled those Urgals on my own!" the boy exclaimed "And you don't look any older than I do!" Axel hummed unconvincingly. "Uh-huh… suuure. By the way, I'm seventeen, going to turn eighteen whenever spring hits here, kid. Unless you're _over_ the age of sixteen, where I come from you're still a child." _Though that didn't stop them from creating me,_ the winged warrior finished in his thoughts. The boy's disgruntled scowl was on the same threat level as a kitten and Axel met it with an unimpressed look of his own. His eyes shifted from the staring boy and intrigued look of the old man and focused on the blue dragon. Their eyes narrowed, intelligence pulsing within the blue and Axel decided that it would be better to address the dragon in the room with a more civilized approach. "So what's their name?"the dragon tilted their head while the old man grunted. "Who?"

"The dragon- I don't want to assume their gender or anything… where I come from, while not very often spoken about out loud, some people identify themselves as one way even if they look or were born the opposite… and there's no way for me to tell if they're-," He gestures to the dragon casually. "-A male or female and I can tell they are as intelligent as you or I AND don't want to be turned into roast chicken-." Axel bit his tongue to stop himself from rambling any further and to get to the point. "So… name? Gender?"

The boy seemed to zone out. His face twitched every now and then as if her was trying to keep from making faces before he came out of it, looking exasperated and sending a slightly less dissatisfied look at Axel. "She'll tell you herself." he said. Before the Black Robin could ask what that meant a poke of _something_ touched Axel's consciousness before a strong and angelic voice echoed in his head. _«I am a female, and thank you for being considerate and not call me an 'it', but next time I would appreciate it if you didn't speak of me as if I wasn't here.»_ Axel jumped and spun around, looking for the source of the voice. The woman's tone changed to amused. _«I am right in front of you, fellow Winged One.»_ the black catlike pupils widened in wonder as the blue dragon- dragoness-extended her neck to peer closer at Axel's form. _«My Rider says your name is Axel, no?»_

The winged male nodded. _«I am Saphira.»_

"It's a dream come true and an honor to meet a real dragon, Saphira." he said, his torso instinctively jerking to bow but unsure of whether or not to follow through with the motion. "They're a fantasy back where I come from and don't exist as far as humans knew. Even so they were and are an inspiration in my childhood when I had the free time from training." The dragoness gave a chuckle and Axel fought back a blush- sadly his wings didn't get the memo and they ruffled and fluffed up in his bashfulness. _«I can't imagine why we wouldn't be an Inspiration- Dragons are the most gilded creatures to take to the sky or land, after all.» she's really vain, huh?_ Axel thought tilting his head and raising an ebony eyebrow. _«Though… it is rather interesting to meet a human with the wings of a bird… you must tell us how that came to be.»_

"Yes, you should." The old man said, leaning away from the boy as he finished changing his bandage. Axel huffed and leaned back, stretching his wings to rid them of their fluffed-up appearance "Technically, and I'll say this again, _you_ kidnapped _me_. If anything, you two need to tell me your names before I tell you even a chapter of my story."

There was a beat of silence before the old man grunted. "My name is Brom, and the 'kid' as you called him is Eragon." Axel nodded towards the boy but a sudden overlay of a familiar face- much much younger and with light brown hair and hazel eyes bright with excitement and longing as they were looking at Axel's new wings- flashed before vanishing. "Finally able to stop calling you kid." Eragon cracked a smile before gesturing impatiently for the winged man to tell his tale. Axel held in a chuckle at the image they probably made- three men and a dragoness gathered round a camp fire in the flat plain-like area. What a picture they made.

With a sigh Axel sat back and looked up at the sky. Even the stars were different from his world's- from the moments he could even see them at any rate."Fine, fine. You shared, so will I. So, first of all, I'm not exactly from around here."

And off he went with his story, or at least a chapter. Where he grew up, the war going on before it was ended by his 'death', the creatures that destroyed his world and by all technical accounts 'killed' him. When he finished Eragon just looked at him incredulously. "You expect us to believe a tale like that?" Axel shrugged. "I have no reason to lie, nothing to hide and nowhere to go. Believe me if you want, but I told you guys what I want to for now- the rest you're gonna have to earn with my trust."

"That's… fair, I suppose," Brom acquiesced reluctantly. The man's eyes roved over Axel's form. After several moments, he speaks again. "What is it you want, Axel?" the Black Robin gives a beastial grin, canines glinting in the firelight as crimson eyes flash with an inner power. "Well… I guess you could say I'm looking for answers. What blasted me here was technology I'd never seen or heard of before." He thought back to the dream he had upon awakening all those months ago- the man with that huge black dragon at his side. "And more than that, I feel like something _pulled_ me here. I want to know why."

Brom hummed, but didn't reply. "At any rate, this seems like a motley crew of misfits… kinda my crowd to stay with. I'll tag along to wherever you're going if you'll permit it." Axel brandished _Lynx_ for them to see and spread his wings to their full span of twenty eight feet. "It helps to have another set of eyes on the roads and in the skies. I speak from experience." Saphira seemed to be speaking to Eragon. Brom turned to the boy. "Well? This is still your quest so what say you?" brown eyes flitted from Axel's wings to the scythe and blades at his disposal.

Eragon could admit that having someone powerful like Axel in their group would help tremendously. Not to mention… he felt safe, similar to how Brom felt to the boy. _«What do you suppose, Saphira?»_ the dragoness's gaze flickered to Axel. _«It would make for interesting conversation and company… also he could help you learn how to defend yourself along with Brom's lessons as well. From what you showed me, his wings can become armor-like and he wields that claw-weapon and his blades masterfully. No doubt he would be a true terror both on land and in the skies- invaluable and dependable.»_

Eragon nodded before turning back to Axel. "You can come with us, but if you betray us, it won't end well for you." Axel gave Eragon a sharp grin, his canines flashing in the firelight. "Even if I was hoping to betray you, you wouldn't be able to stop me because you have no idea of everything I can actually do." He rocked back on his heels before flipping his scythe around and clasping it to his back. Brom narrowed his eyes at their newest member while he turned, wings stretching behind him and shimmering their odd purple color in the light.

"We should sleep before it gets too late," He said as he opened a bedroll. "Originally we were going to buy more supplies at Yazuac but since that's no longer an option we'll need to go farther to Daret." Blue eyes looked over at Axel's form before a grunt drew the boy's attention. "Will you be alright staying behind with Saphira while we get supplies?"

Axel's eyes shifted to the blue dragoness- obviously she couldn't go into town so he'd have a sky-buddy… A sky buddy that could take him out if he made the wrong move…

_Clever old man._

"Yeah, sure. Not like I can go with you looking like this."

* * *

The sound of metal striking metal woke Eragon up. Sitting upright and yawning the boy blinked sleepily and took stock of his surroundings. The campfire sat in the center of their little camp with a bowl of oatmeal set out for the boy. Eragon picked up the bowl and spoon and walked over to Saphira who was sitting near the opposite edge and focusing intently on happenings a ways away. _«What's going on?»_ Eragon asked, spooning some of the bland mush into his mouth. _«The Old One wanted to see how Axel fared in combat despite the role he played yesterday.»_ she answered, eyes flickering to her Rider. _«They have been at it for about thirty minutes now.»_ Eragon hummed in interest and looked at the current bout.

Axel used the handle of _Lynx_ to block several strikes from Za'roc blade, the red sword screeching as it rubbed up against the odd bluish-grey weapon. Eragon's eyes widened when he realized that the two hadn't blocked their weapons at all- they were going at it without any protection. He moved to stop them but Saphira's _«Wait»_ held him in place. Axel's wings flared before wrapping around his body in a protective cocoon and hardening into shimmering amethyst-black blades of crystal and metal, completely different from the texture and appearance they held the day before. When Brom landed the hit Axel struck back, twirling his scythe around his body like it was a baton. The wind whistled as the blade passed by the old man's body, but Axel's eyes were of iron concentration and focus.

Brom grunted when the scythe slammed into the ground, just missing his toes by a foot, and looked up incredulously at the youth who almost took his feet off. "Be careful! Remember that this is a spar." Axel smirked. "I told you we should have gone with your method of blocking our blades, but when it didn't work on mine you said to just do without. Not my fault!" Axel jumped back and spread his hardened wings, the bladed feathers rattling threateningly. The teen turned the weapon so that the bladed end pointed upright and turned it towards the old man. He narrowed his eyes and suddenly the edge of the blade burst onto violet flames before they disappeared just as quickly. Brom's eyes widened and he prepared to defend when Axel simply _vanished_.

In his wake was a puff of dust and the sound of a strange buzz, like the distant crashing of ocean waves.

Eragon's eyes were blown wide and Saphira looked like someone had smacked her snout. _«Where did he go?»_ she wondered in alarm. The sudden and much louder buzz of the ocean overhead made the trio jump and look up. Lo and behold, Axel appeared with his scythe already coming down towards Brom's head. the old man moved to block this strike but in another buzz once more, the Black Robin vanished again. Another buzz and he reappeared to Brom's right. Eragon, Brom, and Saphira couldn't believe their eyes. "What magic is this?!" Brom shouted in shock as he spun to keep track of the winged warrior. He thought he saw him, when he vanished again. he showed up again, but then another one appeared, then another and another until there were around _twelve_ of the warrior all around them. Axel laughed, an eerie sound that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere.

 _"Point Break."_ Axel said the name of his technique as he was going faster and faster- so fast he was leaving afterimages in his wake. The three were then surrounded by images of a grinning Axel. _"With this, I can up my speed to unimaginable levels- I'm going so fast right now that I leave illusionary images of myself. Neither digital nor organic eyes alone can keep up with me."_ With a final _Buzz_ Axel reappeared behind Brom with his scythe's blade around his neck and pressing gently against his jugular.

"Yield?"

Brom swallowed and nodded, grunting out an "I yield." Before being let go. Axel let out a breath and stepped back, sweat beading his brow. Falling back onto his rear the winged teen felt the muscular aches catch up and an increased sense of fatigue, making him hiss as he pants with exhaustion. "That was extraordinary," Brom said as he sheathed his sword.

Holding his hand out for the younger man to take he helped Axel rise before shaking his hand and eyeing Axel's trembling body with worry. Even after a full night's sleep, the winged man was exhausted, something the youngest of the human spotted. "Will you be alright?" Eragon spoke up and asked with vague concern coloring his tone. Axel leaned his head back and nodded, smirking at the younger boy as he leaned against _Lynx_ and let out a drawn-out breath. "Yeah, it's just ever since coming to this world it's been harder to use that- in my old world I would be able to use that for far longer… three to four hours, depending on the battlefield or training area. This world has a strange energy interwoven into it that I'm sensing, it's like a thick fog that varies in opacity around people , plants, and animals… I think it's interfering with some of my abilities- Gods know the battle outfit I arrived in dissolved after seven days here." Eragon nodded and cast Axel one last look before turning to help Brom pack for the road.

Axel leaned back and let out a sigh. _«That was quite the show,»_ Saphira lowered her head look into Axel's eyes curiously. The slit dragon-like pupils widened a bit as they focused on her own blue eyes and the winged human smiled. "It was just an early-morning spar, really. In an actual battle, things get a lot more heated…" Axel trailed off as he sucked in another breath. "Gah, sorry. Can I…?" Saphira tilted her head as Axel reached out to her. Leaning against her side he took measured steady breaths before pushing of of her. Now leaning back he laced his fingers together and looked up to the sky, though his eyes were closed. Even if the actions were strange, Saphira could hear his heart rate gradually slowing down to a more relaxed level. As his breathing evened out Axel relaxed and let his form drop.

"Thanks for that," he said after a bit. Saphira blinked and Axel supposed that meant 'you're welcome'. As he turned to approach the two other males and see if there was anything he could do Axel stopped short when the raised voices came into play. "-Something you should be taught, much less _use!_ " Brom was angry, his teeth worrying a pipe he must've lit and fresh linens around his wounds from the day before. Eragon was facing off against the old man, brown eyes alight with indignant fire. "Oh, so is it something I can only harness when I'm old and wrinkled with age like you? Maybe I must wait to find a proper teacher? Maybe you just don't know magic!"

Axel spun around and walked the other way because _maybe_ he shouldn't be hearing this. "Boy, you cannot begin to understand how dangerous what you want to learn truly is! Your quest for answers is as insolent and ignorant as it is persistent!" something flashed in Axel's mind, a brief memory of an older scientist with kinder eyes than the cold ones he found himself surrounded by in his time at the Labs.

 _Axel, some things are better off without you knowing._ The man had said, a large calloused hand ruffling black locks fondly.

With a breath Axel stayed in his spot as he heard Brom's voice lower, taking on a kinder tone as the last bag was latched to the saddle of the white horse. Now that Axel looked at the two closer, he noticed that Brom was acting like a dad trying to control his teenage son after a schoolyard fight. The Black Robin huffed and hid a nostalgic smile as he spread his wings. "Tell them I'm scouting ahead. I'm assuming you can reach me when you guys are on the move?" Saphira nodded, a strangely human gesture when seen on a dragon. "Cool. See you soon."

The wind that kicked up from Axel taking off drew Brom's and Eragon's attention, but with the word from Saphira they let him be.

Far overhead, Axel heaved a sigh, circling the others and watching the ground for any of those monsters- Urgals- from the town. He thought on his decision to join their little ragtag group and smirked wryly.


	4. Μόνο άνθρωπος (Only Human)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel gives a lecture, thinks about what it means to be human, and is reaffirmed of his status by one blue dragoness who has somehow taken a liking to him

When Eragon and Brom rode into camp after their brief stop at Daret Axel seemed to have an air about him while he sat near the unlit campfire polishing his blades.

"So~? How'd it go?"

Eragon looked up at the older man briefly as he dismounted Cadoc. "How did what go?" he asked warily. Axel closed a single crimson eye and looked down the cutting side of his dagger to see the razor's edge. "Your supply run. Saphira was nearer than I was and I know better than to pry on a dragoness- we had… exchanged stories instead." Eragon worried his lower lip before answering. "They were very cautious. The town had archers on the rooftops, had even erected a wall around the perimeter. Urgals have been running rampant around the Empire as the town head had said... they seem to think the King cares enough to try and send some help in the form of soldiers."

Axel scoffed. "Dictators like this King you guys have have never and will never care. In my old world people like that have started wars encompassing the entire world or the world as they knew it throughout history, wiped out cultures and civilizations or very nearly succeeded in doing so because they thought they weren't in a holy plan or whatever. Even my own war wasn't 'Humanity stands together' and we were on the brink of _extinction_. To that end, I was an assassin sometimes. I've done my fair share of shadow-killings and life was never really _only_ front-lines battle." Eragon slipped his newly bought gloves off and looked at the elder curiously but decided to say nothing of it; it seemed Axel was speaking from either experience or remembering something from his homeland.

The winged soldier tilted his head, red eyes glowing like fire as he looked back at his dagger before putting it away and pulling _Lynx_ around for its turn. "When war is on the corner, you want to control a population. Or, if it's already there, the best way to keep a population from thinking about rebelling or rising up is to keep them hungry and desperate for protection, subjugate them so that they think the one in power is in the right. Human, Iso- or in your cases Humans, Elves, Dwarves, or Urgals, even Dragons- are never completely safe from madmen like that." Axel poured a strong-smelling liquid over the cloth he was using and began swiping over his scythe. Eragon's eyes followed the movements as he absently tugged at his gloves.

Axel blinked when he realized the boy was watching a little _too_ closely and gave a knowing smirk. "Wanna hold it?" Eragon jerked before blinking owlishly at the older man. "R-really?" Axel huffed before holding out _Lynx_ 's handle to the boy. "Yeah, go right on ahead. Try it." Eragon flashed an excited grin briefly before he reached out to take it in as dignified a manner as he could…

**And promptly had the air** _**whoosh** _ **out of him when the weight dragged the kid face-first to the dirt** _**.** _

Eragon spluttered and grunted and squawked as he tried to pick the scythe up off of his legs while Axel guffawed and Brom chuckled in amusement. The winged soldier signed as he reached over and took the weapon from the younger boy lest he was squished or suffocated by the weight dragging him down. "How are you so strong? You don't look any more muscular than I do!" Axel gave an absent shrug. "Guess I'm just that amazing, huh?"

Eragon scoffed before grumbling out "He can't be fully human if he can lift something that heavy." When Brom came over with two sticks the same length and width as the two swordsmen's swords he paused upon hearing Eragon's cross snark. Axel hummed, eyes going half-lidded as he looked up at Eragon, his wings flicking as he moved them. Eragon blinked in confusion when he saw a flash of hurt zip through the winged man's gaze before it was quickly covered up. Axel smiled and brushed his bangs aside absently. "Remember, Eragon- _I may look, walk, and talk like I'm human_ ," the boy swallowed as Axel's fangs suddenly bled molten silver and sharpened, pricking the man's flesh enough to draw his blood and the Black Robin's tongue flicked out to lick up the small scarlet drop.

" _But the truth of the matter is… I don't think I qualify as such anymore…"_

=›◊‹=

The sound of cracking wood echoed around the camp as Brom and Eragon danced about and struck with their wooden sticks. Well… _dance_ was a strong word- more like Eragon got hit and smacked around while Brom hid a smirk and barked ways to improve on the job. Once again, Axel found himself in the company of the blue dragoness. The two shared a side-eye with each other before looking away and back to the two sparring males. _«May I ask you something?»_ she eventually asked. Axel's lips quirked up in a small smile before he replied. _«You just did, but go ahead.»_ Saphira let out an amused laugh in Axel's mind before continuing. _«What did you mean when you said you didn't think you qualified as human?»_ Axel sucked in a breath and let it out slowly.

 _«Dunno why I'm telling you… no offense, but you've given me no reason to trust you.»_ Saphira turned a glittering sapphire eye to the ruby gaze of the winged warrior. _«And nor have_ you _given_ me _a reason towards you.»_ Axel chuckled and gave a singular brief nod. _«Touché…»_ he winced as Eragon took a particularly harsh whack to the forearm. _«How about_ you _look at me, and tell me that I'm still human…»_ Saphira turned her attention to the man before looking away with an air of aloofness. _«I cannot see what your issue is, Axel.»_ The dragoness said.

 _«But if it will settle your mind, I'll tell you; I see someone who can hunt in the skies on his own wings. I see two eyes, a furless body,_ ridiculous _fur upon your head… and though you have impressive teeth they still_ pale _in comparison to mine-.»_ Axel scoffed and reached out to nudge the dragoness' snout before pausing and backing away, startled with his own familiarity. _«I see two legs that make you stand upright, two powerful and impressive wings to keep you aloft alongside me when you fly… and I hear a heartbeat that is just as strong as Eragon's.»_ that last part had Axel's eyes widening. Startled he fully looked up at her but she kept watching the two other men spar.

 _«Even now, I can feel a turmoil greater than even Eragon's roiling like a storm on the horizon. You agonize over it some nights and that is why you fly so often… you have thoughts and feelings like my Eragon. I think… this makes you one of the most human humans I've met or seen be it from memory or with my own eyes thus far since my time emerging from the egg.»_ Axel stared wide-eyed at the sapphire dragoness before he looked away, shoulders trembling. Saphira turned her gaze to the man, eyes wide with shock and maw opened slightly before she realized he was _laughing_. "By the Iron Maiden, Saphira! _That_ was something I wasn't expecting~!" Eragon was distracted from his block by Axel's laughter and Brom took the opening. Eragon was smacked in the hand for his mistake and got his head back on track.

Axel tilted his head as he looked up at Saphira again.

His wings spread out wide at his sides and a faint aura surrounded them, a wave of heat that made the campfire rise higher, the tongues of flame crackle a bit more merrily.

 _«You sure do have a way with words…»_ the dragoness seemed to stare at him in confusion. Why did he find what she said amusing? She was just being honest to his request. He gave her a sharp-toothed smile that was so wide the corners of his eyes crinkled. _«Thank you.»_ Saphira's eyes widened minutely before she shuffled her wings a bit, almost flustered, and that distracted Eragon once more, this time it was their link that got his attention, and Brom smacked him on the behind, producing a yelp. Saphira's nostrils huffed a jet of smoke before she looked back at the winged man.

 _«You are welcome... I was only saying what I felt was an honest answer.»_ Axel's wide grin softened. _«Yeah, even so, thanks.»_

Something had been laid to rest tonight, something Axel didn't know he really needed to be resolved in him until he got confirmation from a non-human creature. Looking past Saphira's front to glance over the newly-finished dragon saddle Brom had made for the dragoness and her rider, which was sitting near the saddlebags rolled up and looking pretty, Axel hummed. _«Since you've helped me… I wanna help you.»_ Saphira tilted her head in question before Axel shot a meaningful glance to Eragon who at that moment swings his stick so hard that upon collision with Brom's _shatters_ into splinters. While Eragon blathers a mangled apology about the stick Saphira's eyes gleamed with a dangerous and gleeful light.

_«What do you have in mind, Winged One?»_

=›◊‹=

The next morning had them up bright eyed and bushy-tailed. Axel decided to walk alongside the two on the ground this time while Saphira soared overhead.

The winged warrior watched through the morning as Eragon focused on a pebble Brom had picked up from the side of the road in his palm. "What's he doing?" he asked curiously. The old man grunted. "He's trying to make the pebble rise using magic." Axel raised an eyebrow as he continued to watch Eragon try and make the stone lift. "…looks more like he needs to take a shit to me." Brom hid a smirk. "It does, doesn't it?" suddenly Eragon let out a shaky gasp and spoke the words Axel assumed was the phrase. _"Stenr Reisa!"_ Axel's eyes widened as the pebble rose in his hand. It was shaky and only lifted a foot or so before falling back to his palm but the kid managed it. "Well done," Brom said, 'impressed' written in his face. "Most couldn't get it on the first day." Eragon smiled wearily at the praise before Brom looked away. "Now do it again." Eragon let out a protesting groan and scowled down at the rock as if it had personally been responsible for the death of his pet goldfish but went back to it. Axel chuckled. "He's kinda how I was when I first started flying." Brom hummed, wordlessly asking for more details.

"I was taken to the tallest tower in Rusted City," The Black Robin explained. "Then… they shoved me off and told me to flap." Axel chuckled wryly. "Lots of holes in the ground were made that day and I felt like I was run over by a Charged Behemoth, but I ended up flying after the fifth day." Brom let out an _aah_ in understanding and the trio continued in silence. "So how does this magic work?" Brom sighed. "It's a complex art that depends on how much energy you can provide to fuel a spell." Axel frowned, furrowing his brow. "Elaborate." The old man shot the younger a look. "I want to keep Eragon from getting his ass in trouble again." that was a shared sentiment and Brom opened up about the basics. It was easy enough to follow but Axel was focused on one thing in particular.

"The phrases can be easily mixed up?" Brom nodded. "Yes. You must have a very firm grasp of what you want and how to say it in the Ancient Language. Phonetics and tense, adjectives and other ways of language can either make or destroy the object you want to effect." Axel looked at the ground with a nod. "And another thing- he needs to know his limits, yeah?" Brom nodded, his brow creasing. Axel watched him send a worried look to the younger boy behind them and sighed. The Black Robin had only known the two for maybe a day or two give or take a night, but he was already feeling attached to them. Eragon reminded him of himself… and someone else from the time in the Labs.

"Hey, don't go pulling your hair out, old man," Axel cackled as Brom spluttered indignantly. _The same phrase he told the commander- déjà-vu_. "I'll make sure he doesn't do anything _too_ stupid. And if I'm not there, Saphira will certainly be." Apparently despite the reassurances Brom _didn't_ appreciate being called out about his age and moved to smack the younger man upside the head. Dancing back with a smirk, Axel spread his wings and took off like a particularly mischievous crow or raven, seeking refuge with Saphira while Eragon looked at the two with a fond gleam in his eyes.

Something had seemed to shift with Axel since last night. It may have been whatever he and Saphira spoke about- she wouldn't tell him- but she seemed to keep a closer eye on the winged man if only to 'keep him from brooding up a storm cloud'.

"Eragon, I don't see that stone rising!"

With the smile wiped from his face and replaced with irritation from the arduous task of performing magic, Eragon groaned before getting back to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as Mallie says in her end notes, we got some events backwards- for one, Eragon started learning about magic on the way to Daret, not away from Daret. This story will be told from primarily Axel's issues and/or viewpoints, though it will change from time to time- I guess when we get to Eldest things will switch up between Axel and Saphira since they're the sorta-main pairing and Eragon since he's the main MC from the books themselves. Eragon's role doesn't really change as far as Canon goes, but with an older but closer-aged male there in his life while everything is going to shit around him Eragon may be more inclined to not be as reckless and he might seek out Axel's advice on some matters as a sort-of surrogate big brother since Roran isn't there in these pivotal events.
> 
> In the meantime, Axel sees Eragon as one of the youngest children in the Black Robin Project that had died in their first deployment- you'll get more into that in a later chapter. Bottom line is Eragon may be less stupid in decision making, ESPECIALLY when the older-brother figure readily available can fly in and snatch him up into the sky if he's being a dumbass if Saphira isn't able to do it herself- wouldn't put it past Axel to pull something like that, actually…
> 
> One more thing! Mallie sent me the bulk of what she had so far and I've posted it here, in case you all thought it looked suspiciously alike to the FF.N one. they are identical with a few grammar fixes I could spot. since this was my original work anyways Mallie has no room to complain about tweaks!


	5. Πέτα μαζί μου (Fly With Me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fly Day!!!

Three days on the road after leaving the vicinity of Daret and Axel decided to bring out his iPod and put his plan to get Eragon on Saphira's back into motion.

They were passing through the range of what remained of the Spine, so the mountain winds would be strong, the scenery beautiful, and the rush of dipping through valleys and around the formations sent a thrill through Axel- but he promised himself that if Eragon got on Saphira's back while they were on the range, he would fly through with them.

While Brom and Eragon were talking about the meaning behind keeping someone out of your mind- and that sounded like it would be handy and so Axel listened in- Axel opened one of his playlists; Axel believed that music or another outside influence that was pleasant could make a terrifying act easier to work through and they'd eventually ease Eragon away from that when he was used to flying with the dragoness, but it was the night before that Saphira explained to him just _why_ Eragon wouldn't ride her. Axel honestly understood the boy's predicament.

_**~Flashback to the night before~** _

_«_ Saphira, even if it saved his life you kidnapped the kid.» _he had said after Brom and Eragon went to bed. «_ You can't blame him if his first experience being off the ground and not under his choice has turned him off for a bit _.»_ _Saphira snorted and narrowed her eyes in thought. «_ You have a plan to get him to ride me…» _She said after a bit_. _«_ Can you tell me what it is _?»_ _Axel grinned and pulled out his iPod._ «What is that?» _The dragoness asked curiously. Axel grinned._ «This is a device from my world that made my life a little bit brighter. With this you can listen to music wherever you are without a person playing the instruments or even singing beside you.» _turning on the screen Axel had to bite back a laugh when Saphira grunted in alarm in the brightness of it, her head flinching slightly. After a moment of letting her adjust and explaining its other functions he opened iTunes and was shuffling through his playlists when he came to a stop, hovering over_ Flights of Fancy.

«Try this set,» _Axel allowed Saphira into his mind so she could listen to the playlist with him. Saphira blinked in delight as the music flowed through their link._

 _Seven tracks in Saphira requested Axel play back the song they heard last. The first few notes had the Black Robin's eyes widening and shooting the blue dragoness an astonished look._ «This one's what my-» _Saphira only huffed, silencing his startled words. Axel's wings twitched when the song raised its volume with the violins and he began mouthing the words, rocking from side to side in place of dancing like he wanted to do; the man wanted to fly and twirl and spin like the children he once sang and played it for but he refrained._

«I think this one will do just fine, it's better than what I was planning to do.» _Saphira said after the song ended. She hummed, a satisfied trill weaving among her mental and physical voice within his head but didn't extract herself just yet. Axel blinked when he sensed a bit of sheepish embarrassment flutter about from her end._ «Wait, what _were_ you planning t0 do?» _the dragon warbled before looking away._ «I was going to pin him down and demand answers on why he wasn't riding me, and then give him the choice that he either fly with me tomorrow or I'd carry him in my claws.» _Axel had a brief flash in his mind of seeing a chibi-Eragon pinned under a cartoonish Saphira's butt with her glaring at him, a little tic mark in her brow, then the scene shifts to chibi-Eragon screaming in her claws while Saphira flew with a deadpanned look in her eyes and Brom sweat-dropping under them. That image had Axel doubled over, wings shaking and shoulders jumping as he held in his cackles._

 _Saphira saw a glimpse of what made her fellow winged being so mirthful and she held in her laughs as well, though her maw was opened slightly and her scaly lips curled in the draconic equal of an open-mouthed smile._ «You are… very odd, Axel.» _she said with no real heat. The Black Robin snorted, calming himself before leaning back against her side beside Eragon who was in his bedroll and sleeping soundly._ «Well, what's the point in being 'normal' if there are no odd people to spice up life? One of the reasons I joined your group anyways, birds of a feather flock together as the saying from my world goes…»

_**~Present~** _

A sharp jab in Axel's side brought the Black Robin out of his musings.

Axel jerked and looked to his left where Brom was looking at him crossly. "Sorry, what?" Brom exhaled through his nose sharply before speaking. "I was asking if you would be able to spar with Eragon today." Axel tilted his head and blew a rather long bang out of his eyes. "Any particular reason _why_?" Brom nodded before answering. "Yes- he is catching up to me in leaps and bounds. As I see it, even without your abilities and… _enhancements_ , you are a bladesman above any caliber I have seen in my lifetime thus far…" the old man chuckled dryly. "I won't be around forever, Axel, that is why." Sky blue eyes peered into ruby red before Axel sighed and nodded. "Sure. Gods know you three are growing on me like a zit patch on a teenager anyways… I'll spar with him tonight in your place. Will that work?" Brom nodded, a relieved look on his face though his confusion at Axel's unique phrases was visible as well.

They traveled for an hour or two more before turning to look at a large clearing beside a steep drop off of a cliff and into a valley. _It'd be a nice spot for a picnic,_ Axel thought wistfully.

A rumble caught the two men's attention and they looked back at their youngest male with wide eyes. Eragon had hunched over his saddle and looked startled at the sudden noise before flushing a rather funny shade of red as he peeked up through his bangs at the older two. Axel looked to the sky for the sun's placement and hummed. "I think it's about time for some lunch, Brom. can we stop here?"

The old man raised an eyebrow but nodded. « _Saphira, be ready.»_ the dragoness gave the impression of narrowing her eyes at the Black Robin. _«If this doesn't work-.»_ Axel chuckled. _«Then you can pin him and gripe at him and whatever else you want to do, yes. Go off if it doesn't work.»_

Eragon sighed as he brought Cadoc through the forest behind Snowfire and Axel before dismounting near the cliff-clearing. Brom handed the boys some bread and a slice of dried meat before taking his share and lighting his pipe. Axel plopped down beside Eragon and stretched his wings, their black feathers shining their off-purple shade as he did so. The duo was silent for a moment before Axel spoke. "Saphira told me you won't ride her."

Eragon tensed before looking to his right and jumped when he saw Saphira glaring at him from a ways away. "You scared?" the young Rider's face flushed before he scowled. "No! It's just… I haven't had time to ride her." Axel scoffed at the entirely untrue and lame excuse. "Kid, we've been on the road for a little over a month or two- for you, I'd guess a bit over that. All this time you've been on a horse as opposed to Saphira, who is infinitely faster, can _fly_ , and is more than family to you. So, I'll ask again," the Black Robin's eyes narrowed slightly and he leaned in, cat-like pupils- _or were they more dragon-like?_ Eragon absently wondered- narrowing into thinner slits. " _Why haven't you flown with her?_ From what Brom's told me about the bonds between dragons and riders, you two are closer than even _family_ can get. Can't you tell that she _wants you up there with her?_ "

Eragon frowned before looking away, chewing almost angrily on his strip of meat and refused to answer him. Brom watched in interest from the other side of the clearing. "The first time I flew with her," Eragon said after a minute, his voice quiet as opposed to the winds blowing through the valley beside them. "Was when she kidnapped me into the Spine. My Uncle Garrow was tortured and killed by the Ra'zac in that time and the flight had skinned the insides of my legs as I would have scaled a fish… it made walking almost impossible." Axel nodded. "Okay, so you _are_ scared-." Eragon opened his mouth to protest and Axel whipped out a wing to press it up against the kid's mouth to shut him up. "-because your initial first experience was a dud."

Axel sighed in exasperation. He knew what had happened from Saphira but she had left out those details… the situation was understandable but he couldn't help but feel exasperated at _both_ of them- Eragon for not attempting to overcome his fears and Saphira for leaving out that detail. "Look," Axel's wing stretched upwards and curved over Eragon's head, shielding him from the sun's rays for a second.

Axel was literally taking him under his wing for a moment and Eragon felt something warm in his chest- he felt protected, or like he was being taught something important; a similar feeling to when Brom was teaching him something while they were traveling. "My first time learning how to fly was someone taking me to the highest building in my crumbling city and throwing me off that point hoping I'd flap my heart out and soar rather than crash."

Eragon's eyes widened at the elder's experience. "That day made many craters in the city roads, but I kept trying, and tried for three more days after that. On the fourth day my superiors gave me an ultimatum- fly or they'd terminate the project that made me the way I am now, and destroy the remaining subjects." Axel's eyes flashed, glowing with power a brief moment before dimming. "They were gonna _kill_ _me_ and the kids I was trained with if I didn't fly." Axel reached into his pocket and brought out a strange device that looked like it was made of dark silver.

"This guy- I think he was a scientist but I couldn't be sure- came up to me one day. It was the night of the final test flight and I was actually shaking in the iron room they kept us in because the lives of the remaining nine other children were on my shoulders and they were just starting to grow in their wings- they hadn't tasted what being in the air was like, but despite my crashes I _wanted_ up there to get over my fears on not being enough." Axel closed his eyes and Eragon unconsciously leaned in closer, caught by the tale the winged warrior told. "The guy handed me this and said 'Music is the best way of expression for a human. Dance is the body's way of forgetting what troubles you… take this and don't just fly up there, kid… imagine you're using the winds to get rid of your troubles… _dance_ as well.'"

Axel held up the silver object and the strange string-like items that were connected to it. "This is called an iPod and the things connected to them ear buds- they can play music from my world whenever I want it to. When you're up there I want you and Saphira to connect with my mind and hear what I hear, okay? I'll be with you every step of the way and play you two a tune to make it better for you both, alright?" the winged man gave a small smirk before ruffling Eragon's hair playfully. "And if by some diabolical reason Saphira _does_ drop you, I'll be there to catch you. Promise."

Eragon looked up into warm red eyes and found himself believing Axel's words, especially after learning of the less-than-humane reason Axel had to learn to fly, and learn _fast_. After a moment's hesitation he nodded. "Okay…" Axel grinned, canines flashing in the sun as he pulled the younger boy into his side in a headlock and noogied him. "That's what I like to hear! Ya catch that, Saphira?" the blue dragoness hummed, pleased in the accomplishment. _«Yes, I did. Thank you.»_

Brom finally decided to come over, curious as to what they were speaking about. "What's the cause for all the noise this time?" He grumped. "Eragon's finally gonna ride Saphira- I'll be up there helping him out, but ultimately it's him getting on the saddle, not me." Brom seemed pleased as he looked Saphira's size over. "She's able to carry you easily, boy. Lucky for you I had finished the saddle some time ago. When will you be on her?" Eragon looked away. "Today, actually… I wanted to ride her for a bit in place of Cadoc if that's alright." Brom nodded almost too eagerly. "Axel would be able to come and get me if something goes wrong on my end, and even if he couldn't I'm not a weak old man. Eragon and Saphira, come with me- I'll show you how to secure the saddle."

=›◊‹=

"Remember to grip with your knees," Brom said to Eragon as he sat atop the saddle.

"Guide her with your thoughts and stay as flat on her back as you can. Axel will be with you both, from what he's filled in of his plan with you and Saphira, so you have no reason at all to panic in the long run. First and foremost though, trust Saphira and nothing will go wrong if you yourself do not panic."

Axel was standing to the right and already had his ear buds in his ears, wings spread slightly and feathers ruffling to catch the breeze. It was lifting him up slightly, but he refused to take off until Saphira was ready.

Saphira and Eragon both seemed to relax just a bit as the music wove through their three-way link. _«This is what you would listen to in your world?»_ Eragon asked in awe. Axel his a smirk. _«This is what I listened to when I wasn't battling or fighting in the air, and it was rare in and of itself that I wasn't doing that. You two ready?»_ Saphira was shifting on her paws in her excitement. _«Let us be off! »_ The dragoness stepped over to the cliff smoothly and Eragon gripped the front of the saddle tightly before relaxing once more. "It's not too bad up here…" he said confidently, a cocky smile on his , Saphira connected her mind, and through hers, Eragon's as well, to the Black Robin as the music picked up.

The dragoness gave him a nod and Axel pressed play on the iPod, playing the song both he and Saphira had picked out.

 _Axel and Saphira shared a knowing look and the dragoness' claw bumped into a stone sitting on the edge of the cliff and cast it to the bottom hundreds of meters below. Axel caught the exact moment that Eragon's cocky smile was wiped clean from his face. The winged man laughed and Saphira glanced back at her Rider with a smug look in her eyes._ «Not so bad at all~!»

_**Play** _ **Into a Fantasy** _**by** _ **Alexander Rybak**

_With a trumpeting roar of jubilation from the Dragon and a yell of excitement from the Black Robin, the trio lept from the edge and plummeted to the bottom of the valley in time with the sudden strike of the violin, Eragon's screaming both in their minds and into the air. Axel's wings were tucked tight to his back, allowing him to drop like a stone and even pull ahead of the blue dragoness as she fell. Meters from the bottom of the valley where a river sped past Axel and Saphira pulled up and rocketed over the surface, following the water's path._

«Hold on, Eragon!» _Saphira called to her Rider. Then, to Eraghon's surprise, Axel's voice wove into their link…_ singing.

**I have a dream,**

**You are there,**

**High above the clouds somewhere.**

**Rain is falling from the sky,**

**But it never touches you,**

**You're way up high!**

_Eragon is being pushed back due to the wind and he's fighting to lean forwards again. His eyes are squeezed shut and his teeth are gritted hard in his mouth._ «Relax, kid! Trust us! Trust _Saphira!_ » _the dragoness and Axel turn with the walls of the canyon and Saphira reminds Eragon to lean into her turn. The kid ends up almost on his side._ «Not that much!» _she laughs. Axel flew to Eragon's side and guided him upright once more. Once the younger was situated Axel and Saphira open their wings and tilted upwards, exiting the valley and spiraling up towards the clouds._

**No more worries,**

**No more fears!**

**You have made them disappear,**

**Sadness tried to steal the show,**

**But now it feels like many years ago~!**

«Eragon, open your eyes!» _At both Axel's and Saphira's prompting Eragon's eyes eased open and then they flew open completely. Fluffy white was_ everywhere _while patches of green were visible between the clouds, spread out below them with the large slices of mountain peaks, sides, and the valley behind them. Axel's eyes were shining with joy over them, parallel to Saphira's form before wheeling away and spinning with Saphira before they level out briefly._

«This-this is amazing!» _Eragon exclaims, the music pulsing in their minds and lifting his spirits. Saphira suddenly rolls to the side and Eragon grips her neck spike in a bid to keep him on the saddle._ «You could have warned me!» _he says in fear._ «That is something you'll have to get used to,» _Saphira says._ «If I'm attacked in the air, it's one of the simplest maneuvers I can do to avoid being damaged.»

**And I,**

**I will be with you every step~! (Hey! Hey!)**

**Tonight,**

**I found a friend in you,**

**And I'll keep you close forever~!**

_That said, Saphira turned right and Eragon leaned with her, this time perfectly in tune with his partner the fear was gradually bleeding away and Eragon was grinning wildly._ «Come on Saphira, show me what you've got!» _the dragoness snorted and looked back at her Rider with a draconic grin._ «You want speed?» _she asked challengingly._ «Then here we go!»

_Axel's voice rose again, his voice lifting them higher and powering them forwards._

**Come fly with me, (Oh-oh, oh-oh)**

**Into a fantasy! (Oh-oh, oh-oh)**

**Where you can be,**

**Whoever you want to be!**

**Come fly with me!**

_As one all three dove towards the ground, wings almost as if they were melded fully to their bodies and turning them into streaks of sapphire blue and obsidian-amethyst black that spiraled and turned about each other. Eragon howled as gravity nearly left him behind, the straps of the saddle not quite tightened to satisfaction as he became streamlined across Saphira's back and was nearly ripped from the saddle- he was gripping the horn of the seat, making Axel smirk at him._ «Hold on, Eragon!» _the older boy called._

_Then in a sudden billowing sound both Saphira's and Axel's wings snapped out, their tendons and muscles straining as the feathers or membrane caught the air. With a single thunderous flap the winged man and the dragon and her Rider were skimming the treetops on the hills of the mountains._

**We can fly all day long!**

**I'll show you the world,**

**Sing you a song.**

**Tell you what the future holds,**

**You and me will paint it all in gold~!**

_Saphira and Axel flew higher as Eragon pulled himself back into the proper seating position._ «When we're truly one,» _Saphira called to Eragon as they circled skyward._ «You will be able to see everything from both my eyes and yours!»

**And I,**

**I will believe your every word! (Hey! Hey!)**

**'Cause I,**

**I have a friend in you,**

**We'll always stay together~!**

_Axel and Saphira twirled before they stilled in the air, coming to an apex in their ascent and Eragon's questioning emotion through the three-way link was nearly palpable._ «This is one of my favorite things to do, Eragon,» _Axel called._ «FREEFALL!»

**Come fly with me, (Oh-oh, oh-oh)**

**Into a fantasy! (Oh-oh, oh-oh)**

**Where you can be,**

**Whoever you want to be,**

**Come fly with me!**

_Eragon at this point had lost almost all of his fear. The boy felt a surge of recklessness and flung his hands upwards with a shout as both Saphira and Axel leaned back in opposite directions and fell towards the earth thousands of feet below. Gravity took hold of the three and though they kept their headfirst positions stable they were falling without any assistance from their wings. Eragon looked up to see the horizon, eyes watering from the force of the winds. Then the boy was peering into ruby red eyes, Axel waving goofily at his face and twirling in the air, making Eragon laugh._

**(Hey!)**

**And I,**

**I will be with you every step.**

**Tonight,**

**I found a friend in you,**

**And I'll keep you close forever~!**

«Let me show you what flying is truly like!» _Saphira's giddy tone made Eragon perk up._ «How so?» «Just relax and don't be afraid.»

**Come fly with me,**

**Into a fantasy!**

**Where you can be,**

**Whoever you want to be,**

**Come fly with me!**

_Eragon felt Saphira's mind tugging at his and instinctively fought it at first, but with one last calming reassurance, he relaxed and their minds merged. Everything became blurry at first then sharpened. Eragon could feel Saphira's joy and exuberance while in flight. The colors were strange, greens, reds, and yellows muted somewhat while blues were enhanced._

_Looking to the left Saphira saw Axel_ (Strange-Two-Leg-With-Wings) _eyeing Eragon with an inquisitive look but upon glancing at Saphira and seeing nothing was wrong he seemed to deem everything safe. Axel had stiffened and his eyes became glassy for a moment before it dissapeared as fast as if came on. Eragon and Saphira merged together even more before Eragon lost track of where either of them began and ended._ Their _tail whipped about behind_ them _, keeping_ them _balanced in the air._ Their _wings flapped, muscle and sinew flexing as_ they _soared higher._ They _let out a roar before diving once more and_ dancing _around Axel._ They _reveled in this freedom to go anywhere_ they _wanted, to go higher than the eagles dared to soar,_ they _lived for the risk of smashing into the earth._

 _Gradually_ they _leveled out. As they did Eragon began to feel the differences between himself and Saphira again. Slowly he felt the weight of his body on Saphira's back, then the world blurred once more and Eragon gasped before lurching forwards on the dragoness' back._

**Come fly with me, (Oh-oh, oh-oh)**

**Into a fantasy. (Oh-oh, oh-oh)**

**Where you can be,**

**Whoever you want to be,**

**Come fly with me~!**

_«That was incredible!»_ Eragon exclaimed as Saphira and Axel leveled out _« How can you stand to land when you love flying so much, both of you?!»_ Axel snorted. _«It's not like we can keep flying without taking a shit or piss. We also need to eat and drink.»_ Eragon blushed but didn't take it personally. _«Saphira, why do you see in so much blue?»_ the dragoness hummed. _«It's just the way I am. Will we be flying together more from now on?»_ Eragon nodded excitedly. _«Yes, every chance we can get!»_

Axel grinned. _«Good, because having to watch a moody dragoness that's cranky cuz you wouldn't ride her is scary~!»_ Axel yelped and chuckled as Saphira nipped at his toes. _«What?! You are!»_ she snorted in mock affront before focusing on flying. Axel grinned before opening his mouth to speak again. Before he could utter a word though his mouth froze and his canines flooded silver. His bright ruby eyes widened before they flashed, their glow abnormally bright in the sun's rays; Saphira noticed the silence as well and turned to the Black Robin once again.

_«Axel?»_

The sudden glow dimmed, the Adamantine vanishing from his fangs before the man's eyes dulled. Scarlet dragon-like orbs rolled up into his skull before Axel went dead in the air and fell, wings limp and curled around him as he fell back first to the earth below.

_«SAPHIRA, CATCH HIM!»_

With a growl the sapphire dragoness dove and caught the falling man in her claws as gently as she could, a strained grunt coming from her chest as the additional weight took its toll on her. Flapping becoming a bit more laborious as she leveled out, but she soon resorted to gliding and flapping only when they got too low. _«What happened?!»_ she demanded as Eragon struggled to pull the older boy onto the saddle. Once succeeding he was checking for a pulse on the unconscious male. Finding one Eragon shook his head in response to his knowledge of the situation. _«I don't know, he'd just stopped!»_

Casting his mind out to look for Brom, he collided with a tendril of thought that was the old man's. Before the storyteller could speak Eragon barreled on. _«Something's happened- Axel was just flying beside us before he fell unconscious and dropped from the air like a stone!»_ Brom's mind took on a serious edge before he sent the boy a mental image of there he was.

 _«Hurry back.»_ the old man said. _«I also found something that you need to see.»_


	6. ΕΠΙΣΤΡΟΦΗ? (Return?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flight ends with a fall from the skies before a strange change takes over Axel. Feelings of home, warmth and.... longing rush through our Black Robin as he's under a strange affliction.

Saphira's wings shook the air as she came in for a rather clumsy landing in the forest clearing. Her chest heaved with the effort of carrying two humans- one of which was bigger than her Rider and additionally had _wings_ to widen his frame. She twisted her neck to look at her Little One as he slid himself and Axel off of her back to rest limply on his front on the leaf litter. Old-Wise-Brom stepped forward with a deep crease in his brow. Reaching down once the Odd-Winged-One-Who-Was-Good was situated the old man pressed a palm against his forehead and closing his eyes in concentration.

=›◊‹=

_**[Heishereheishere]** _

_**[** _ _**ĶĮŋğŎﬀωĮŁĐĸįŋ** _ _**]** _

_«Who's there?! What are you saying?!»_

_**[REDEYEDRULEROFTHENIGHT!]** _

_Whispers echoed all around Axel as he turned about, wings flailing and arms waving as he searched for something solid to ground himself to. The voices chattered and crooned, some with reverence, some with hope, some with suspicion and some with indifference, but until Axel could make head or tails of the place he had found himself in he couldn't even think of looking for their source. Sparks of light blinked on and off, their innumerable count multicolored and spread over the shadows all around him like the milky way, with what pictures he saw from his old world that were salvageable. like the glittering gems of fluorite in black lighting miles underground. The voices quieted, but didn't leave entirely._

_**[Ħę ŖĮŞÊS!]** _

_**[sonofthekingssouliswrongtaintedtwistednotright]** _

_Axel raised his wings when he felt a burst of heat run down his spine. Black fire tinged with red billowed around him, but the flames didn't feel even uncomfortably hot… No… if Axel had something to compare them to, it would be the same as the scientist who gave him the iPod ruffling his hair, or the feeling of warm arms wrapping around him and giving him a bear-hug._

_**[lostscionthelostscionhascomebacktous]** _

_Axel slowly turned around to see giant red draconic eyes not unlike his peering out from the darkness- the only difference was the ring of burning amber around the slit pupils. The eyes themselves were as big as backhoe trucks of old were tall if you stood them straight in their ends. The black flame edged in red warmed his face and circled around him, jetting from two large caverns that Axel was slowly realizing were_ nostrils _. The Black Robin's knees wobbled before he locked them to keep from falling. Something told him he had to stay standing, to_ earn _this being's respect (whoever they were). A rather forceful blast of fire grazed the right side of Axel's face and he stumbled back at the sting._

_**«***…****…********… AWAKEN!»** _

=›◊‹=

Less than a moment later to the outside world the Black Robin's crimson eyes shot open and he sucked in a gasping breath before coughing harshly. A rather sizable bang had fallen over his right eye, covering it from view and keeping Brom, Eragon, and Saphira feom seeing his right eye or cheek as well.

Saphira felt a rush of relief fill her body at seeing the Odd-Winged-One-Who-Was-Good awake again; her scales itched thinking about how _wrong_ it felt to see him suddenly fall out of the sky without any visible cause.

Axel looked around wildly before recognizing those around him and letting out a gusty sigh. "What happened? Last thing I remember was flying beside Eragon and Saphira, then it felt like something hit me with a hammer to the head." Brom grunted as he sat down on a boulder and fixed Axel with a critical eye. "It appears," the old man said. "That something has slammed through the mental barriers we had trained you to put up." Red eyes widened in alarm, draconic pupils thinning to near-invisibility as he looked at the elder. Brom crossed his arms as he continued. "From what I could tell when I delved into your mind to assess your state, it wasn't harmful. If I could give it a word as a description, it was more… _curious._ "

Axel swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. Eragon spotted this and handed the man a waterskin, which he took gratefully and gulped a draught from.

"I… don't remember," he said lowly, confusion riddled in his voice. The three males were quiet before they left it at that.

Leaning back against a tree trunk with a shaky exhale Axel stretched a bit while Brom and Eragon spoke to each other quietly- Axel tuning them out- before using the camera function of his iPod to look at his reflection. He noticed that his hair had fallen out of it's ponytail once more- he'd have to use a string to tie it back again- and irritably pushed the chunk of bang away. His fingers stilled and he nearly dropped his iPod when he saw his reflection. A patch of black skin, hard and gradually gaining a shine to it, had formed over his eye and half of his right cheek.

Axel screamed, scaring everyone else half to death.

=›◊‹=

After the initial freak-out things (for the most part) calmed down in less than half an hour. It did take a bit to get them back on track, however, for understandable reasons. Axel had shooed Eragon and Brom off to talk about whatever Brom needed to speak to the young Rider about when he spoke up about wanting to show Eragon something that could help with their quest to track down the kid's Uncle's killers.

Axel had calmed down the fastest- when you live in a militarized way of life and were practically raised in a lab setting where body modification was the set goal for your life you learn to adapt to it or die. The Black Robin ran a finger over the black patch and frowned curiously at its roughness. It felt like sharkskin but with more leathery hardness to it, though even while touching it the patch the leathery feeling was getting harder- parts of the skin were… _clumping together_ as well? Strange. A gust of wind signals Saphira's landing behind him. Red eyes, the right eye's pupil holding a corona of burning orange, met glittering sapphire blue briefly before the dragoness continued on her way.

Axel sighed before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He just wanted to rest his eyes for a bit- the events from earlier were taxing to say the least.

About a hundred yards away Eragon had squatted next to Brom as the two looked at the earth before them. Though worried about Axel's sudden and strange affliction Eragon couldn't afford to be set off track now, not when the Ra'zac were so close. though worried about Axel's sudden and strange affliction Eragon couldn't afford to be set off-track now, not when the Ra'zac were so close. "Tell me what you see here." Brom prompted the boy. Eragon narrowed his eyes at the markings in the earth- gouges, really. It was familiar, and jarringly so, but even still Eragon had to think about what they reminded him of before he stiffened. "It looks similar to the marks Saphira makes when when takes off." He said. Brom nodded in approval. "There are rumors of the Ra'zac moving around incredibly quickly, but this puts some stock into those tales." Eragon stood, scowling at the rips in the earth darkly. "Could it be possible that the Ra'zac have flying steeds? Maybe even… dragons?"

Brom shook his head 'no'. "No, I highly doubt they have anything of the sort in the second guess you just gave; no dragon would ever consent to bear a Ra'zac." Eragon sighed sharply. "Then what can we do? Saphira can't track them through the skies- even if she could we'd leave you far behind us… but Axel-."

"Eragon," Brom said sharply. "As much as he's traveled with us I do not want you to ask him about tracking them for you." The boy opened his mouth to protest before snapping it shut. "However," Brom started again, getting the boy to look at him quickly once more. "This is your crusade- I am merely here to find a story to tell and maybe teach you some things also, so this isn't about what I want- I just ask that you think of the consequences that could come of your actions."

Eragon paused before nodding. "Other than that we should discuss our next course of action. Maybe we can inspire a trail to blaze while we eat." The Rider wasn't happy about it but he had things to think on and decisions to make so he trekked back to the campsite. There Axel was laying on his stomach and running a stick through the dirt while glancing at Saphira every now and then. She herself was in a rather fluid pose and sitting very still- was he drawing her? "So? What'd you find?" the winged man set the stick down and stood, stretching languidly. Eragon couldn't help but stare at the new blackened patch of skin over his right eye before Saphira's mental prod brought him to attention for an answer.

"The Ra'zac have flying mounts." Axel blinked before sucking in a hiss through his teeth. "Well, shit… that's put a pause on your plans, huh?" Eragon nodded, his brow furrowed harshly. "Do you know what they could be?" the Black Robin asked, folding his wings to his back tightly as he crossed his arms. Eragon shrugged angrily as he violently kicked the ground, sending a rock skittering away. "Other than giant birds or dragons, the latter which Brom said wasn't possible, no." Axel followed the angry youth's movements for a moment before sighing. "Maybe you haven't looked at all the angles yet…" the Black Robin paused, chewing his thoughts before speaking. "Brom crossed out dragons, but can you or he think of any birds big enough to carry the average size of a fully-grown man without breaking their bones or something?"

Eragon himself couldn't think of any right away, but the idea did prove to hold some merit in being both true and untrue- no bird could be that big, but anything could be possible within reason. Axel was living proof of that, and Saphira hatched for a mere farm boy like himself. Axel huffed a laugh and smacked Eragon's back, making the boy yelp. "Don't think too hard on it, kid. Just keep an open mind."

With that last piece of advice Axel shot Eragon a grin. "Now, Brom asked me a favor- he wanted me to spar you after we went flying." Tossing Eragon the real metal sword, Zar'roc, Axel swung _Lynx_ about in a flourish before slamming the blade into the dirt with a loud _thunk_ and _clang_. "Brom may be your teacher with a sword, but with me you're gonna learn that not all opponents could be armed with a sword or spear." Eragon gave the older boy an incredulous look. "What else could they use?" Axel raised an eyebrow. "Scythes, for one," he said gesturing to the black metal of _Lynx_ 's blade. As if acknowledging it's part the reflections of blue light on the inky metal winked at the boy. "There could be Axes, Claymores, Maces, Whips, Dual Blades, Gauntlets, Claws, Staves, Throwing Weapons, Hammers-." Eragon waved his hands. " I get it, I get it, be prepared for everything." Axel nodded.

"Yes. I may only use a scythe and dual daggers," he patted the two Adamantium daggers at his side. "But that doesn't mean I didn't learn other ways to fight with a weapon or in pure hand-to hand. Another thing you and Saphira need to learn together is aerial combat but we'll get to that later." Red eyes looked to the side, an unreadable look flashing in the older man';s gaze for a second. "You two were lucky so far. From what Brom's told me, you living in that small town saved your innocence more times than not. I didn't get that luxury- from the age of six onwards I was rebuilt and retrained for war and combat. I've had to kill to stay alive." Crimson and catlike eyes sharpened when they landed on earthy brown. "You will to, but you're killing not just for your sake, but for _hers_."

_For Saphira._

"So you need to learn to fight all manner of opponents. Big or small, Elven or Dwarven, Human, Urgal, Ra'zac, hell even werewolf-." "What's a werewol-?" "The point is, it's better to learn something pointless and have it on hand for a later time than not learn it at all and end up dead because you didn't learn it."

Eragon paused before nodding slowly. "I-I understand."

Axel's lips twitched in a smile, his canines poking from his mouth as he did. "Good. Then show me what you've learned so far, kid!"

"W-Wait, what about blocking the blades?!"

"Mine can't get blocked Eragon, now put up your guard!"

Brom sat beside the sapphire dragoness as he watched the two boys begin their spar. He had a small smile on his face as they went back and forth, Axel barking instructions much like Brom did and Eragon struggling to keep up. _«They are like brothers, aren't they?»_ he asked Saphira fondly. The dragoness hummed. _«It is comforting to know that Eragon has someone older yet closer to his age that he can depend on… I cannot always be around to get him out of trouble.»_ Brom sighed as he dug his pipe from the folds of his robes. _«Yes, that is true… hopefully with Axel's help, he can grow to be a fine young man in the future.»_

Saphira glanced at the old man.

 _«You aren't going to tell him yourself?»_ Brom made no indication he heard her, continuing to watch the two boys duke it out.

With a huff of smoke, the dragoness turned to watch them as well.

And if her eyes seemed to stray towards Axel's form and body more that her Little One's, well that's no one else's business but hers.


	7. Λάδι (Oil)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lead on the Ra'zac appears

Axel yawned as he leaned on a large rock near a rather sizable creek; while Eragon was a ways away getting a drink and washing his face Axel stretched his wings and rotated his shoulders to get rid of any lingering chances of stiffness or soreness. His and Eragon's sparring session had lasted a while- about an hour and a half- and afterwards Axel told him to walk off his fatigue. "It'll prevent soreness after a workout, kid." He'd said. "Trust me, it's saved my life to not be sore during a battle in the beginning- fighting through pain that was there to begin with will just distract you at the start." He had left Eragon at the campsite stretching out and walking off his soreness while he had done it and finished first, so he had time to himself. The sun was still high but by the position it would be at in Axel's world it would have been anywhere around three or four PM.

The spar had helped get Eragon's mind off of their current road block in tracking the Ra'zac but it was only a matter of time before the boy's frustration returned. Axel sighed and scratched the back of his head, stumped on what to do himself as well. _'I suppose we just take this one step at a time,'_ the Black Robin thought to himself as he pushed himself upright again. As he turned to call for Eragon so they could head back the younger yelped and fell face-first into the stream with a splash. Axel rolled his eyes and jogged over to the spluttering younger boy and hauled him to his feet.

"You good?" Eragon nodded, water dripping from his hair. "Yes. Strange, I didn't see anything that I could have tripped over." The group had gotten used to Axel's strange ways of phrase and speech, mostly translating them to their own way of speaking. "Well it is [pretty muddy over here- maybe you tripped over a rock?" red eyes roved over the riverside before falling on something a little too shiny, even when covered in water and mud. "What's this?" Eragon reached down and picked it up, using the river to wash the mud off of the surface to reveal a metal flask and a leather strap long enough to have someone sling it over their shoulder.

And on the lower left side of the flask was the Ra'zac's symbol wrought into the silvery metal.

Axel was silent as he eyes the flask but Eragon felt excitement take over his emotions- finally, their first clue was found! Eragon hurriedly unscrewed the cap and instantly a cloying smell, reminiscent of rotting fruit and the exact same scent that had hovered over Garrow the day he was found, wove its way through the air. "That doesn't smell friendly at all," Axel muttered. Eragon was about to tip it over and pour what was inside onto a finger when the older of the two stopped him. "Wait, kid what if it's corrosive?" Eragon paused before flushing lightly in embarrassment at his over-eagerness- for all he knew it really could be poisonous to the touch. "It could burn your finger away faster than what Saphira could do to dry kindling when she starts breathing fire."

The younger huffed. "How do we test it, then?" a contemplative hum was his answer before Axel turned around and pulled his shirt off. Eragon tilted his head at the array of much smaller and more purple tinted feathers that covered Axel's middle back, forming a carpet of feathery coating that showed where his wings met and melded to his skin. the muscles jumped as they were exposed to the more chilly air and the feathers rose slightly as if reacting to the cool, mimicking hairs on skin standing up in gooseflesh. "Pull one of the larger ones out- the size of a normal bird's primaries, if you can." With an _aah_ of understanding Eragon plucked a feather on the very edge of the plumage, one that wouldn't be missed. It was about seven to nine inches long and narrow enough so if they dipped the feather into the flask it wouldn't get ruffled on the edges. Axel nodded at Eragon's selection and gestured for him to pour a small drop of the contents of the flask onto the avian growth.

" _Holy shit! Drop it, dropitdropit!"_

" _By the gods-!"_

" _That was way too fast what the holy everloving_ hell _-?!"_

Rapidly screwing the cap back on Eragon and Axel eyed the remains of the feather, now nothing more than a murky discolored colored puddle of foul-smelling slime on a rock- which was not melting away, the boys noted absently- and felt the miniscule tremors wracking their bodies and twitching paled faces. "Eragon you were about to pour _that_ onto your finger…" Eragon didn't answer in his shock but he nodded haltingly. "My feathers are laced with an organic crystal-metal alloy, harder than steel and diamond, it's _living_ _metal_ and _living crystal_ , Eragon. Not even yours or Brom's blade could get through my defense with only one strong hit, but that ate through it like-like…! Holy shit…!" Axel ran his fingers through his hair and breathed deeply, unnerved by the display of corrosiveness- this was on par with things only used in a controlled laboratory setting back on his world. A place as primitive as this one, regardless of the magic it held, shouldn't have any of that yet. Sulfuric acid was something he hadn't seen here yet!

"I am _extremely_ glad you didn't pour that on your finger," Axel continued, wings twitching in unease. "If that ate through an adamantine feather with no problem-." "Then what can it do wo a creature of flesh-and-blood?" Eragon finished for him, looking at Axel with wide eyes. Axel nodded before heaving a breath and forcing himself to relax, the ruffled feathers on his back and wings smoothing out gradually. "I'm just glad I was here to keep you from possibly _drinking_ the stuff." Eragon winced at the implications and looked at the gooey remains of the feather, feeling ill. "C'mon, let's get this back to Brom. I know he'll want to see this."

* * *

"Well, you two seem to have had an adventure. Just be glad Axel stopped you from pouring it all over your hand, Eragon. If you even tried _drinking_ it only a puddle would have been left of you." Axel, having calmed down in their trek back to camp, snorted and elbowed the younger and shorter boy beside him. "Sometimes I feel like I'm eighty-five percent of his impulse control, I swear." Eragon blushed and muttered something incomprehensible as he looked away. Saphira snorted from her place on the far side of the camp, sapphire eyes glittering with amusement. _«Thank you for keeping an eye on my Little One, Winged One.»_ the winged man huffed and crossed his arms. "Who else is gonna keep him from killing himself when no one else is around?" Saphira seemed to laugh before she tucked her head into her foreleg's crook and let her eyes close. Even if she looked asleep her mind was as alert as ever.

Brom chuckled before re-screwing the top of the flask, the two boys having already told him of the content's abilities and scent before he opened it himself.

"What you just found is called Sethir oil. Very rare. It's made using the Sethir plant which grows in the far north." Axel hummed and crouched down, wings spreading slightly to accommodate the position. "Kind of interesting, a plant that has acidic oil…" Brom's eyes gleamed as he looked at Eragon and Axel. "That is the issue, though. In its natural state the oil _isn't_ corrosive- in fact it's used to add an extra sheen and to preserve pearls." Eragon tilted his head, thinking on the answer before his eyes widened. "Magic?" Brom nodded gravely. "Yes. With a blood sacrifice and dark ritual it can be turned into a lethal torture device." Axel frowned. "Wait, but when we used a feather to test it, it had eaten straight up the thing. Eragon dropped it on a rock before it got to his fingers and the rock didn't turn into goo."

Brom turned his eyes to the younger man and nodded. "ah, but that's the grim beauty of Sethir oil- it eats through anything that was part of something _living_ that was an animal or human. Bone, skin, fur, feather, or hair while leaving non-animal or human objects untouched. Assassins could drip it over a pile of linens on a bed so that it could burn through the next person to get into the sheets with the victim being none the wiser." Axel chewed his lower lip, careful of his sharper and longer canines as he furrowed his brow. "Efficient, effective, stealthy and cruel…" he glanced at Brom and Eragon before standing, ruffling his wings. "From the experiences of a fellow hunter, even if in different ways from these things, I admit that this is a weapon I'd want to keep close at all times- anyone from my world with half a brain would want their hands on something this versatile."

Eragon shot the older man an alarmed and outraged look. "How can you say that?! This is the tool those bastards used to kill my uncle! They tortured him and left him in agony amidst the wreckage of my home and you think you can stand there and approve of that?!" Glowing red eyes with thinned draconic pupils were leveled at Eragon but the boy didn't back down. "You have no idea of what my world is like aside from what I've decided to tell you, Eragon," Axel said lowly. "The things _I've_ had to do would make you piss your pants with nightmares at night- what I meant was that from the standpoint of a hunter and interrogator, Sethir oil would have been helpful to get what information I wanted and rid myself of any evidence of a body… I don't approve of their actions, kid, far from it, but I can respect a fellow hunter's ingenuity with such a versatile tool."

Eragon's eyes lost some of their anger when he began to understand what Axel meant. _I suppose he's right,_ the boy thought. _With an oil as rare as this used as a weapon of that caliber it would only make sense that he would respect how sparingly and wisely another would use it…_ then a gleam began to form in those brown irises as he thought. _Wait… the oil was from a rare plant only found in the far northern lands…?_ Turning to Brom, Eragon licked his lips before venturing with his train of thought. "The Sethir oil… Brom, how rare is it, exactly?"

The old man gave a snort and rolled his shoulders. "About as rare as diamonds in a pig pen." Then he thought for a second before reassessing the supposition. "Actually the normal oil is used by jewelers for their pearls, but only those who could afford to buy the product."

"So then there _are_ people who trade in it?"

Brom nodded. "One or two, perhaps."

Axel watched the duo's interaction like an amusing tennis match. They were starting to sync up in terms of brain and it amused the older boy to no end at how alike the elderly man and youngest human on their team were at times.

"Good," Eragon said with a definitive nod. "Then do the cities along the coast keel records of their shipping cargo?" Brom's eyes brightened and Axel smirked, having caught on when Eragon questioned those who traded in the deadly oil.

"I'd recon they'd have to it they want their product intact," the Black Robin said, wings twitching in the mounting excitement. "And if we can get to those records," Brom began. "Then they would tell us who brought the oil south and where it went from there-." "And records of the Empire's purchases will tell us where the Ra'zac live!" Eragon finished, fist smacking into his palm with an enthusiastic _shpac_ sound.

Brom grinned and shook his head in amazement. "It's genius! I wish I had figured it out years ago- would have saved myself many headaches and sleepless nights if I had." The old man hummed in satisfaction. "The coast is dotted with port cities and numerous towns where ships come to land. I suppose Tierm is the best place to begin since it controls all of the trade going in, out, and around the Empire." Brom paused. "Last I heard I had an old friend, Jeod, living in Tierm. We haven't seen each other in years but he may be willing to help us- it is a stretch though… however because he's a merchant it is highly likely he will have access to the records we seek."

Axel curled his lips into a joking crooked smile. "Okay, well not to crash the party but how would we get to this Tierm? Since the place is a port city, and with how high I fly on the daily I can barely see ocean over the mountain range, I doubt we can get there though that." Brom let out an _ahh_ of understanding. "Well, we'd have to take a southwest approach until a high pass in the Spine. Ponce we pass through we can just head up the coast until we reach the city."

Axel hummed. "Well, you are the expert of this weird world I'm in, so you'd know best."

 _«How long would it take us to reach the pass?»_ Saphira finally piped up, snaking her head over to the males of the group. "Easily within the week if we angle away from the Ninor River. Take the travel paths to our right and we'll be at the foot of the mountains by tomorrow."

The dragoness nodded and Eragon mounted her saddle. Axel leaned against a tree trunk and pulled out his scythe, looking over the edge of the blade with a critical eye. "You coming?" Glancing at the younger male, the Black Robin shook his head. "Nah, I'll stay here. Enjoy some alone time with Saphira." Eragon nodded. "If you're sure… In that case we'll be back by dinner." With a rush of wind and a thud, the dragon and rider duo had taken to the skies, shrinking in sight until only Axel's enhanced vision could pick them out easily among the blue and white of the world's roof.


	8. Μαθαίνω να πετάω (Learn to Fly)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songs for the road, lessons to be learned.

The next day the quartet were traveling- Eragon with Brom on the ground and Axel with Saphira in the air- the boy had a sudden curious thought. _«Have either of you seen the ocean?»_ his mental voice was projected to their entire group, though he was talking specifically to Axel and Brom. the Black Robin's wings stilled as he took to gliding through the thermals in the skies beside Saphira, thinking on the younger male's sudden inquiry. _«The oceans in my world were the only places the Isoforms couldn't corrupt,»_ Axel finally answered, feeling Eragon perk up in attention. _«I lived by one before I became…_ this _. The waters were a blue as deep as the sky, or as green as the most vivid emeralds…But above all, it's an untamable force that can sweep you away and drown you without feeling any remorse.»_ Brom's answer was a bit more emotional as he answered Eragon, however.

 _«The sea… it's emotion incarnate… love, hate, dismissal, cruelty and tenderness thrashes under it's waves. It cannot be contained and cares not for those who disrespect it's rules. Do you remember, Axel, Eragon, that I told you two the Elves came over the sea?»_ Eragon nodded and Axel hummed in the link. _«though they live far from the coast they still retain a deep passion for the ocean. It's inspired some of their loveliest ballads and songs.»_ Axel dipped as he left a thermal and began flapping to retain his height, getting a slight huff from Saphira in amusement at his inattentiveness. _«Have you heard of any songs they made?»_ the Black Robin asked, curiosity in his tone. Brom grunted in confirmation. _«Yes I have… it is called Du Silbena Datia. I'd have to translate the verse I know from the Ancient Language so the wording isn't really perfect. I also don't remember much of the tune, but what I do have would give you two an idea.»_

Eragon seemed to give the impression of sitting up in eagerness and Axel chuckled at his emotive state.

Axel, Eragon, and Saphira fell silent as the old man sang. His gruffness seemed to fade away as he let the words flow from the song of the ocean, and Axel found himself rising and falling with the rise and fall of the melody.

_O liquid temptress 'neath the azure sky,_

_Your gilded expanse calls me, calls me._

_For I would sail ever on,_

_Were it not for the elven maid,_

_Who calls me, calls me._

_She binds my heart with a lily-white tie,_

_Never to be broken, save by the sea,_

_Ever to be torn twixt the trees and the waves._

As the last notes of the song faded into silence Eragon spoke. _«That was beautiful…»_

Saphira noticed how quiet Axel was and turned to look at him over her shoulder. _«Did your world have any songs depicting forces of nature as well?»_ Eragon perked up at this also, his mental eye turning to Axel as the older man was put on the spot. _«…not for a long time.»_ was Axel's reply as reached for his iPod and began flicking through his playlists. _«The most people made were songs about the fear and sadness of leaving their families behind to fight, or the anger of the invaders… Me being part of the Black Robin Project, I wrote more songs about falling from the sky.»_

The three listeners fell silent at Axel's explanation for several moments. _«Would you honor us with singing one of yours for us, Axel?»_ Saphira asked softly. The wind flowing around them brushed Axel's hair from his face, revealing the cloth they used to conceal his patch of scaly skin over his eye. The winged warrior blinked before looking over at Saphira while feeling Brom's and Eragon's own curiosity. _«…You guys could probably do without hearing one of those-.»_ _«Please?»_ Eragon interrupted Axel's attempt to refuse.

The boy, despite his small confrontation with Axel yesterday about his opinion of the Ra'zac's tools, did look up to the man even if he hadn't known him as well as he'd wanted to… maybe it was because it was their similar circumstances- the hope of the world on their shoulders, alone and pretty much the last of their kind… destined to fight in a war they had wanted nearly no part in… Eragon was broken out of his thoughts when he felt Axel sigh into their four-way link. _«Fine. I never really got around to naming it, so forgive me if you wanted to know what it's called…»_

A moment of silence followed before Axel's voice began to flow through their link. Low and mellow, tinged with sorrow and exhaustion yet awe and determination, the Black Robin began to paint yet another picture of his life before he fell into Alagaësia...

_ **Learning to Fly** _ by  _ **Hills x Hills** _

_Well I started out,_

_Down a dirty road…_

_Started out… all alone._

_And the sun went down_ _as_ _I crossed the_ _hill,_

_And the town lit up,_

_The_ _world got still…_

_I'm learnin' to fly…_

_But I ain't got wings._

_Comin' down…_

_That's the hardest thing…_

_Well the good old days may not return…_

_And the rocks might melt…_

_And the sea may burn!_

_I'm learnin' to fly, but I ain't got wings…_

_Comin' down… that's the hardest thing!_

_Well some say life will beat you down…_

_Break your heart,_

_And steal your crown._

_So I've started out for God knows where._

_(Ooh) I guess I'll know,_

_When I get there!_

_I'm learning to fly, around the clouds,_

_But what goes up must come down…_

_I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings!_

_Well coming down…_

_That's the hardest thing!_

As Axel's voice faded from their minds Brom spoke up. _«That has given me much to think about, Axel… you know the matter of loss and gain very well it would seem.»_

The Black Robin smiled mirthlessly in the bond and to the air. _«So I do, old man… so I do. I wrote that because I wanted a reminder that for all my paths that led me here, the choices others and I had made, there is no going back. Whatever decided to make me what I am now… made sure I could never be fully human again.»_ Axel looked at Saphira and he saw her blue eyes looking straight into his red ones. _«Remember you two… be careful of the choices you make- they can effect not just you, but everyone and everything of you're not careful…»_


End file.
